Karen's Corner July 2015

I'm a water drinker, and I'm always encouraging people to do the same, but how much water is enough? That is a good question, and it varies from person to person. Drink too little and you can get the following symptoms:

Dry mouth, eyes or skinJoint painDecrease in muscle massStaying sick longerDigestive issues, constipationReduced urination that can lead to UTIsFatiguePremature aging

Drink too much water and you can strain your kidneys and upset your electrolyte balance, leading to:

So, what's the right amount? A good place to start is to take your body weight in pounds, divide that number in half and drink that many ounces. For example, if you weighed 120lbs (I know, who is this example, anyway?) you would want to drink about 60oz of water. This number is appropriate for most average people, but for those who are very thin or overweight, as well as very active individuals, adjustments should be made.

Now that you know the symptoms of too little or too much water intake, keep an eye on your own body and see whether you're on track!